Color Slide
by Unknownred
Summary: What happens to Haruno when she runs late for school, and under a ladder at that? How does she fix her appearance and possibly her attitude, too? Well RxR!


_**Color Slide**_

Title: Color Slide

Author: Unknownred

Rated: T

Pairings: Sakura and Sasuke

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

X

It was intoxicating, the rare color of purple mixed with green made it look like puke. It certainly didn't go with her natural hair color. After her alarm clock went off for the fifth time, she shot out of bed and glared at the red blinking numbers that read that she had about four minutes to catch the bus. She gaped and rushed to her closet, picking out an outfit and running around, trying as fast she could to pack everything she needed for school. Once she got to the door, she hesitated a bit before receding out and running after the bus that just happened to close its doors at the bus stop around the corner. While running, Sakura hauled her bag to her chest and ran after the bus but the bus failed to notice her flailing arms and continue on its route.

When she finally arrived at her school, she was at least twenty minutes late and besides being stopped by the student body's representative and giving her a slip of tardiness, Sakura quickly jogged her way past her locker and swept around the corner where she almost rammed into the janitor whom was holding a wet purple stained brush. She swiftly made a twist and slid under the ladder where supposing the janitor had just gotten off from and tripped over the white covering that was trapped under the ladder. Sakura had crashed, head first on the floor and at the same time that she had sat up, the bucket of paint had tipped and purple paint had spilt all over Sakura's head. To make it worse, Sakura stood there gaping, picking up her bag and running back around the corner to go to the wash room and instead ran into the janitor once again— whom was holding a bucket of green paint— as it splashed half on Sakura's hair and shoulder.

There she stood before her classroom door, as the same student body representative from before, slid the door open and urged her in. Sakura slowly stepped in, swallowing as she squeezed her bag to her chest and was followed by the courier. Once she stepped inside the room, the whole class fell silent and she made note that her friends were gaping at her, shocked at her appearance along with a few other students, including some enemies whom in return just snickered at her. Her eyes slid to the floor, as if it was interesting to look at. It probably was, despite how her morning started out. Her teacher, Kakashi sat on the edge of his desk and crossed his arms, scanning Sakura's absence appearance.

"Sakura, May I ask why you're covered in paint?" Kakashi asked, quirking a brow.

Sakura swallowed a huge lump in her throat, before breathing in the toxic odor of paint, and huffing out rashly. She had glanced at some windows that she had passed while heading to her classroom, the dark windows reflecting her covered exterior. From head to toe, paint was either spattered or drenched down her clothes. Just glancing at her hand, her finger nails scraping off the now dried paint, she wondered if the paint was permanent but she hadn't had the chance to ask.

"I…" What could she say but the truth? Everyone was looking at her, perked by interest or curiosity. She could make up something, maybe say it's a tradition on this date from elsewhere (where she had no clue was true or not, maybe it was) she sure didn't know. "I don't know." She responded with a shrug.

Kakashi hummed disbelief conformity and turned his eyes to the messenger and nodded his approval for his departure, but not without his say in it.

"It seems that she had a little accident with running into the janitor." He said, waving at Sakura and continued on, "Please do be careful, Haruno. Running in the halls isn't safe especially under a ladder."

Sakura clucked her tongue and nodded absentmindedly, looking up and out the window. The morning wasn't as bright as Sakura was counting on. The sky was filled with dark clouds gathering about and the silence it became was too unbearable. After the representative walked out the room, closing the door behind him, all eyes were on Sakura and Kakashi.

"Sakura, I had marked you absent but seeing that you are here, I had switched Amy to your seat for she was bothering Uchiha way too much these days." Kakashi straightened up, and bent down to open a drawer from his desk. "I hope you don't mind."

Sakura's eyes wandered from across the room where she was assigned for the year, away from her friends and lingered to Amy's original seat. She didn't catch Amy's glare and teeth sneering as she began to walk off to her seat that was next to Uchiha Sasuke. She paused and looked behind her. Her foot prints were invisible and to her relief, she had no reason to clean after herself except to apologize to the mess she created for the janitor to clean up and also, to clean herself too.

She began walking again, to Sasuke's desk and sat herself down on Amy's seat, marking her new territory with paint on her butt. The class room buzzed with new gossip and Sakura couldn't care less for she was now sitting near her friends which made her happy. She placed her bag to the side and turned around.

"Hey," Her friend, Ino Yamanaka replied, "Is what the representative said true?"

Ino was Sakura's childhood friend. She has sparkling blue eyes, almost as bright as the sea, which made her blond hair outstanding. There was this one time, Sakura remembered, when someone mistaken Ino as an albino— which greatly offended Ino but she soon came to realize that her great great ancestor was albino and she was glad she didn't turn out to be one, not like she didn't like albinos.

Sakura shrugged, "Um, yeah, it's true."

"Dang girl, you got it bad." A voice jumped in, Tenten was her name; she had long brown hair that was wrapped into two buns which matched her chocolate orbs. When Sakura first met Tenten, she had asked why she didn't have a last name and learnt of it. Tenten had moved out from her parent's house, said she couldn't take any more of their constant fighting and called in to the Name Change Agency to change her name to what she wanted and to leave her with no last name at all. She didn't want to be reminded of her parents. How sad, Sakura had thought, was diminished by how Tenten had to now survive on her own by getting a job and working late.

Sakura pursed her lips, wanting to lick the chap off before speaking but was instantly reminded that she was coated in paint and had quickly retracted her tongue and closed her mouth. Suddenly a cold shiver ran down her neck and she felt disgusted. She wrinkled her nose and put on a distraught expression.

"Worse, I don't know if it's permanent or not." Sakura pouted, reaching up to touch her disgusting colored hair. She noticed, by bringing the ends to her face, that she needs a trim before her split ends get longer. "Is it that bad?"

"Sakura," a soft voice intervened, bringing her attention to her soft petite friend, sitting across from Sakura. Hinata Hyuuga, her most trustworthy friend Sakura could place a title upon, spoke with reassurance in her tone. She wore violet eye contacts almost every other day, experimenting on different colored contacts her family's business provided. She also has long black hair that stops at her waist but you can't really distinguish her natural hair color for Hinata has also dyed her hair so many times, it almost stuck to a purple hue. It wasn't as bad looking as Sakura's pink natural locks that now look like puke.

Sulking, Sakura turned around, bringing her head down on the cold counter. "I'm sure you can wash it off, but I suggest you do it quickly before it dries."

Sakura groaned and lifted her head, giving Hinata a sideways glance, "I'm pretty sure it's already drying. Oh!" Sakura's eyes widened as a thought crossed her mind, "What if it doesn't come off? What if I have to shave my head?" Her last sentence wasn't intended to sound like a question, more of an exclamation.

"Well," Ino started, flipping her long ponytail over her shoulder, "You're screwed then."

Sakura, including her other friends turned to Ino, giving her a disapproving look. Ino replied back with an innocent truth. Sakura's eyes swept over the room, her eyes tuning into one gossip to another. Her eyes met Amy's eyes, a smirk forming on Amy's face as she continued to give Sakura a disparagement stare before breaking it off and giggling with her friends. Sakura's felt a blush running to her cheeks as she turned away and placed her chin on the palm of her hand held by her arm that sat on the counter and looked off out the window, not noticing Sasuke's quick glance.

It took forever for the class to end and once it did, Sakura dashed out the room and ran to the wash room, forgetting about bringing her bag. A couple of students made way as she ignored their confused and amazed looks and barged through the door of the girl's bathroom. One girl in particular, that came out of the stall fixing her belt glanced up and shrieked, causing her to run out the bathroom without washing her hands. Sakura shook her head, at least that wasn't worst or as important as the state she was in now. Then again, another thought filled her mind, why didn't she just ask to go to the bathroom during class? _Great!_

Sakura turned on the knobs of the sink to full blast and jerked her hands in. She instantly felt grimy and wanting the need to take a bath. At that moment, she heard a huge bang from outside and jumped to the sound of another. Did someone drop more than one instrument down the stairs? What was that sound? It almost sounded, to Sakura's confused faze, like thunder and lightening. She walked to the exit and peered out. A couple of students were frozen to their mid-pace walk and stopped to hear the sounds that were made outside. Some people close by even whispered that a storm was passing by. Reassured, Sakura walked back to the sink to find it overflowing with water.

"Crud!" Sakura skipped forward, turning off the knob and grabbing for some paper towels that wouldn't come out of the dispenser. "No!" She quickly fumbled around, looking for something to clear up her mess and turned to the stalls, a door was left ajar revealing tissue paper.

Without thinking, Sakura grabbed the tissue paper roll and started unrolling the paper, only to make it worst with all the sticky paint that grabbed parts of the tissue. "Oh no!" Sakura cried out, taking her other hand to remove the small parts of ripped tissue only to be stuck and added on her other hand. "Great! Now, I'm going to look more of a discolored chicken!"

Frustrated, Sakura threw the roll against the wall, the paper unrolling as the beginning paper stuck to her hand. Sakura groaned out loud, and muttered unholy words under her breath as she leaned back and her eyes widened at the now mess she made… again!

Words were traveling, and once it reached the bathroom entrance, Sakura gasped and looked at the purple stained sink, the color water dripping off it and the remains of the drain slurping up the coats of puke and the feathers of ripped up tissue paper surrounded her, despite having the roll across the area. Voices, added in giggles were becoming louder and louder, foot steps entering with a click clack on the tile floor. Sakura scurried into one of the stalls and locked it, and then stood on the toilet, making sure her feet weren't shown. Once the said girls were inside the bathroom, their giggling ceased and all were heard was silence at first then came gasps and again, more gossip.

They ran out of the bathroom and so did Sakura. Sakura looked both ways before heading down the hall to gym. There, she thought, I can probably take a shower and get some of this paint out of my hair. She paced to the door and grabbed for the handle. Opening it, she stepped in, meeting up with five sets of eyes blinking up at her and then snickers forming on their lips.

"Well, well," Amy stepped forward, "Look who finally showed up. I guessed the rumors are true after all. Right, girls?"

Amy's friends all nodded, glowering down at Sakura, their eyes filled with mock. Amy stepped towards Sakura, flicking her hair and curling it around her finger.

"At least now we know that your hair is naturally," Amy snorts and rolled her eyes to the ceiling, "vomit-ish."

Sakura darted a glare at Amy and her posse; she didn't care for any rumor but she did care enough to say, "Put your money where you mouth is." Sakura sneered, taking a step forward.

Amy's brow twitched and she pulled her lips back, showing a row of teeth. Sakura unexpectedly felt her left eye pulse in irritation and a small idea erupt in her mind, making her smirk inwardly and she made a disgusted look on her face.

"No wonder Sasuke ignored you," Sakura rolled her eyes, "You got a green stuck in your teeth."

Amy gasped, and hastily reached her hand to her mouth and covered it, her shriek audible as her attention flies from Sakura to her group of friends. Sakura, now that her way of escape was open, took the opportunity to get out of there and run back outside. The last of words Sakura heard before she turned the corner was one of Amy's friends saying, "I don't see anything!" Well, Sakura thought, she'll get over it… maybe.

Bursting through the doors to the side of the school's entrance, Sakura ran out like there's no tomorrow and plummeted into the hard pounding of the rain. Sakura's quick mind relaying its regret in doing so then changed her mind and reached up to the sky. She stood there, letting the rain wash away the pain from her hair, her face, everywhere. She felt the hue color of texture turn to sludge and she felt like she was going to gag; still the paint was too strong to carry around. Sakura started to tear at her skin, her cheeks, her hair, trying to relieve the stench and covered dried paint. It worked… a little. What she didn't notice was the indoor gym's side door was open and students were being split in teams and within one of those teams stood Sasuke, watching her with amusement in his eyes.

It seemed like forever that Sakura stood there under the rain, scrubbing skin on skin but she came to the conclusion that at least she got half the paint off her face and clothes although not much on her head.

"Great," Sakura mumbled to no one in particular, "I'll have to shave my head now just to get all this paint off!"

"I doubt that's what a girl should be thinking." A voice interrupted her thoughts. Sakura spun around, her wet colored locks slapping across her cheek. Her eyes widened in curiosity but narrowed in suspicion.

"Uchiha," Sakura began, "What do you want? What are you doing here?"

Sasuke shrugged and looked Sakura over once then twice and settled to nodding, "At least half your hair matches your eyes and your clothes your hair."

"Sasuke Uchiha, giving me compliments?" Sakura's head jerked back as she let out a loud laugh. She suddenly stopped laughing and shot a wary eye at Sasuke, "Are you feeling alright? You didn't fall off your bed during the night, did you?"

Sasuke's eye twitched as he took a moment before shrugging in response, "Whatever. I just came over because I was—"

"Worried?" Sakura suggested, jumping in, "Oh that's so kind of you Uchiha, but I can take care of myself."

Sasuke's mouth clamped shut as his eyes narrowed by her choice of words. He shook his head and then said, "I doubt it."

Sakura's mouth dropped, "Well excuse me! I'll be on my way, good bye!"

"You're annoying." He muttered, turning around and started to walk away not before hearing Sakura mutter aloud, "Ditto."

X

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Epilogue

X

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As much as Sakura would like to thank the person who suggested shaving her head and killing whoever it was to make such a poor choice do it, she kept silence as her friends fought her down on the barber chair, reminding her that she was the one who thought of the idea in the first place.

Sakura grinded her teeth in place and glared at her reflection in the mirror. It had only been this morning that the incident happened and not only did Sakura thought the coatings were permanent but after getting soaked by the rain, it had turned gooey or possibly sticky which became rather, akin to bubble gum stuck in someone's hair. All you had to do was either cut off pieces of hair on where it's stuck or removes it by hand and finger nails.

That's how Sakura ended up in the Uchiha's Barber Salon with Sasuke as one of the top employees and head barber apprentice under his brother, Itachi Uchiha.

"Stop moving." Sasuke ordered, pushing Sakura back down in her seat, "Or would you like it if I make you actually bald!"

"To the scalp?" Sakura gaped, "No thanks!"

"Then sit," He reached for her multi-colored hair but missed as she ducked forward and turned around. "Would you please?"

"Oh, I never heard that one before!" Sakura snickered, "Added frustration!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and glared at the ceiling. Sakura snorted and turned back around, "Besides even if I was to turn bald, I wouldn't mind because then all those boys would stop asking me out on dates, you know."

"I wouldn't call that a compliment." Sasuke coughed which sounded more like 'coughiments', reaching for her hair again.

This time, Sakura sat still and jerked her head up, "What was that?"

Sasuke mumbled 'nothing' but Sakura didn't like where this was going and kept bugging him on what he said. "Did you say coffee mints?"

"Never mind what I said." Sasuke grabbed her shoulders and straightened her up, reaching for her icky hair and sliding the remains through his fingers, "You have a lot to fix—"

"You mean you?"

"— starting with your… hair." Sasuke began to take his utensils out and then started working on removing the sticky remains of paint from Sakura's hair and dropping them in piles on the floor.

While he was working, Sakura's friends headed to the Uchiha's café and sat there while Sakura got her hair undone. Sasuke remained calm and quiet as Sakura began to wonder about her hair and then comparing it to Sasuke's. She looked at the mirror intently and then stared back at Sasuke's head as he turned sideways, lifting Sakura's hair and dropping a piece of sticky paint off her head. Sasuke picked something out of his pocket and dropped it over Sakura's head and onto her lap.

"What's this?" Sakura asked, picking up the card and turning it over to find number scrawled across the parchment.

"My number?" He spoke, rolling his eyes, "Obviously."

"For what?" Sakura glared at him through the mirror.

"Just in case," He looked at her in the mirror, his eyes shining with amusement as he snickered, "You need fixing with your hair… you know who to call."

Sakura stuck out her tongue in mockery and then an innocent idea flashed in her mind, "Oh that reminds me… maybe you can fix that chicken butt hair of yours while you're at it!"


End file.
